Matty from MattyCollector.com and ToyGuru Jr. sent us the answers to our latest round of questions.that AFI readers have posted in our forums. There are some very interesting hints and reveals in this installment, so read it carefully and let the speculating begin!

Q1) Of the new pictures of Infinite Heroes shown on the new Matty/Mattel Facebook page it is mentioned that Alex Luthor is the first figure with the new articulation, but there is no obvious new articulation in the photo. Can you tell us what the new articulation will be going forward for this line?

A1)Luthor actually just missed the new articulation cut off, but it will follow very shortly after him. The new articulation will include ball joints at the elbows and knees as well as wrist, neck and ankle articulation

Q2) Will we see Infinite Heroes exclusives on MattyCollector.com (apart from the upcoming stands)? When will we hear about those announcements?

A2) We are working on a very special 4 pack of IH figures for MattyCollector which we hope to announce before SDCC. IH stands are on sale now!

Q3) Specifically for the JLU line… A.Any chance yet of the smaller characters like Krypto, Batmite, etc.? Now that we’ve gotten Wonder Pig, it would be great to see some of these offered as accessories in the single packs, and I think it’d help sell more duplicates… B.Any chance for and accessories packs on Mattycollector.com? There have been a lot of fun accessories in the JLU line, but a lot of us bought our figures in 3 packs… Would be great to get a pack out of these…

A3) Yes, we actually do have more mini character accessories in store to help give a good reason to re-buy core characters in the single line.

Q4) How does Matty’s presence on Facebook change the way you plan on communicating with the online community (communities)? Do you plan on continuing these Q&As? How do you think you will the dissemination of info going forward?

A4) Matty’s Facebook page is just an additional way he can communicate with fans. We will still continue to do Q & As and Toy Guru will post on websites. We found we were getting many of the same questions every month submitted by different websites, so Facebook will hopefully act as a central place (along with MattyCollector.com’s news section) to get information straight from Mattel.

Q5) As a BIG Batman fan, and an even bigger JLU fan, I have to ask if we will see more and more Batman related figures in JLU style? Figures like Robin (current and classic),Two-Face, Nightwing, Batgirl, Batwoman, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Clayface, Commish Gordon, and the other great Batman characters would all be great!

A5) Yes. We do have plans for more Bat characters in JLU!

Q6) Why was"Guy Gardner" used as a choice for DCIH as a single, as a 2-pack inclusion, AND as a 6-pack inclusion (the Oa pack) all at the same time?

A6) There is a very simple reason. All of the figures in the first releases of all the IH skus were chosen because they were the first figures available to ship after sculpting, licensor approvals and tooling was completed. This is why there were a few repeats in the early released!

Q7) The Brave and the Bold figures are starting to hit and they look great. When can we expect a Batmobile to go with them?

A7) We have a great transforming Batmobile in the works which will be out in the fall.

Q8) What is the status of the DCIH Gotham 6 pack? I understand that it may not be around my area. I cannot find it on e-bay(only 1 partial pack sold as individuals), it is no longer listed on TRU.com. Has it been cancelled or delayed in distribution, ect?

A8) The Gotham pack was produced and shipped to TRU per there orders. Hopefully your local store will get more in stock soon!

Q9) Were a sufficient amount of the 2008 Fall/Winter Target JLU six packs(Legends of the League and Secret Society) produced? By sufficient, I mean in numbers equal to or greater than the previous Target six packs? Why is it so difficult for JLU to maintain a firm retail presence? One would assume that Target is indeed behind the line, or else they wouldn’t have it in the first place. Is it within Mattel’s power to produce more of the latter JLU six packs AND/OR have them sent back through distribution channels to MattyCollector and have them sell them there? Because AFI’s very own polls show that a full FIFTY percent of respondents never saw either six pack in any Target whatsoever. And the Northeast quarter of the United States received little to none of these. That’s a fact.

A9) The exact same number of packs were produced for Wave 2 as were Wave 1. One reason Wave 2 was a bit harder to find was that it shipped during the holidays when more customers were visiting retail and store shelves were stocked more often during the day. So they were snatched up pretty quick!

At the end of the day it is up to Target to order and place JLU product in their stores. If you are not seeing JLU in your local Target, we suggest you talk to the toy aisle manager and ask for it by name!

Q10) Now that you know about many of the production issues people have encountered with 2008 product; what will Mattel be actively doing going forward in 2009 to improve the quality and distribution of their collector oriented lines?

A10) Quality will absolutely continue to improve. Here is a little bit of insight that might help. Once we receive feedback we immediately make plans to correct any errors, fix paint ops or change plastic quality. Unfortunately, unlike a newspaper which can print a retraction in one day, it can take 2 -9 months before new product is produced, shipped and then available for purchase.

We are absolutely committed to improving our product as quick as possible. In the toy world for logistic reasons this just takes some time.

So there you have it! Thanks to ToyGuru and Matty for all the answers.

Daniel “Julius Marx” Pickett has been around toys his whole life. The first line he ever collected was Mego’s World’s Greatest Super Heroes line back in the 70s. He has been surrounded by collectables ever since.
In 1999 he was confounded by a lack of information and news about some of his favorite toy lines he was collecting. Since he couldn’t find the information he decided to pursue it himself thinking other people might also be interested in the same news. He started writing a weekly column on the toy industry and action figure for a toy news site and in a years time he tripled the sites daily traffic with his updates, reviews and product features.
He built relationships with every major toy manufacturer and many sculptors, painters and mold makers. He grew his hobby into a world wide expertise that the industry has embraced.
In 2004 he teamed up with his toy buddy Jason “ToyOtter” Geyer and they created their own website www.ActionFigureInsider.com.
Daniel has been quoted in both industry and mass media press outlets. Over the years Daniel and AFi have been sought out as experts in the field. Daniel was regularly featured on “Attack of the Show” on the G4 network as the primary contributor to their “Mint On Card” segment, and our front page has been linked to from USA Today’s
“Pop Candy” Blog twice. Daniel’s content has also been featured on MSNBC.com,
Wired.com, Fark.com, Boing-Boing, Gizmodo.com, Ain’t It Cool News, the Official
Star Wars blog, Geekologie, G4, CNet and Toy Fare magazine, among many
others. He has consulted on toy lines, books, documentaries and TV shows.
But all of that really just sounds snooty and “tootin’ his own horn” – the long and short of it is that Daniel loves toys and he LOVES talking about them.